


What We Almost Never Said

by EtchCantrellorLightningHeterodyne



Category: Sharp Zero (Webcomic)
Genre: Ace's dad is an asshole, Alex and Ace sit on a roof and talk each other out of suicide, Danny Becket is a good brother, M/M, Michael Becket is a good father, Past Rape/Non-con, Please don't kill me for writing this, So im tagging warnings just to be safe, Suicide Attempt, abusive childhood, but it is there, not graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 16:51:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15223517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtchCantrellorLightningHeterodyne/pseuds/EtchCantrellorLightningHeterodyne
Summary: Ace's dad was abusive. That's why he's jumping off a roof. Alex got raped when he was ten, and again when he was fourteen. That's why he's jumping off a roof.Until they both see the other standing there.





	What We Almost Never Said

Alex stared at the street ten stories down.

_Fists coming at his face again and again and again once when he was ten and then when he was fourteen and the worst part was that it was the same fucking person both times. Left bloody and broken and used in an alleyway, curled into a ball and sobbing. An experience so bad he couldn't remember it, Danny finding him the first time- taking him home- making him cocoa even though he hadn't asked their mom. His father finding him the second, taking him home, leaving him with Danny and his mother and finding the guy and beating the living shit out of him because_ you can try to strangle me but if you ever touch my boys you're dead _._

_Crank and Redshift, fighting like everything hung in the balance._ It didn't, two hours ago. It sort of does now, if one can call Alex everything.

Alex took off his fathers jacket, and the mask. Without them it wasn't likely people would recognize him- he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt underneath the jacket. It had been a rush job.

Letters were probably arriving, for Danny and Eli and Samirah. 

Alex had burned the one meant for his parents. He figured it was the only way it would reach them.

He took one step to the edge of the roof-

And stopped.

Crank was there. Crank was ten feet away, mask off, staring at the street below.

Alex opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Fortunately, nothing had to- apparently he'd dislodged some shingles, and the noise got his rival to turn.

The fire wielder seemed surprised to see him there.

"Red."

It was a statement, not a question. Alex nodded.

"Though my real name is Alex."

Crank smiled mirthlessly.

"Ace."

"Ace as in Ace and the Diamond Dogs?"

The villain turned to face him.

"How'd you know?"

"My brother's boyfriend is your lead guitarist."

"You're Danny's brother?"

"Yep."

Crank- Ace- turned back to the drop.

"Should we jump?"

"I don't know. Why are you jumping?" Alex asked.

"For the first eighteen years of my life my dad beat the shit out of me whenever I fucked up in the slightest. You?"

"Ah... raped. Twice. Ten and fourteen."

Ace froze.

"Oh. Oh holy shit I'm so sorry."

"At least my dad beat the living shit out of the guy responsible and not me, I think you win for shitty childhood."

"I think it's not a competition."

"For once," Alex muttered.

"Don't jump."

"...what?"

"Don't jump. The Vindicators need you. Your brother needs you, you really gonna make him the last living Shift?"

Alex opened his mouth and closed it again.

"If I can't jump you can't either," he said.

"Fair enough. Wanna trade shitty childhood stories?"

"I don't... really remember mine. Alcohol is awesome that way."

"Heh. My dad always said 'love yourself, because I won't' and for years I thought that redeemed him, until I realized that it was an excuse."

"You want a shoulder?" Alex asked, holding a hand out.

Ace walked over and grabbed the offered hand.

"Nah. I borrowed Elliot's. Are you in need of a therapist or was this an 'I am under too much stress and I had a fight that reminded me of my shitty childhood' rare mental breakdown?"

"Heh. Option two. You can learn to deal with depression but every so often you get thrown back to the wolves."

"Yeah. Same here, I guess. All it takes is someone telling you it'll be okay, but then there's no one to tell you it'll be okay," Ace said. He and Alex started walking towards the door.

"I can relate to that."

"Do you live in this building?"

"Yes."

"Whoa, Shifty, giving it away to your enemy?"

"I'm guessing you live here too."

"A5."

"A6. So you're the asshole blasting heavy metal at four in the fucking morning."

"What, gonna suit up, walk across the hall and strangle me for it?" Alex rolled his eyes at Ace's question.

"Nah, too much effort."

"Am I not worth it?"

"I'd much rather use that effort to kiss you."

"Then use it to kiss me, Red, I haven't got all day."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

Alex pressed his lips to Ace's. Ace wrapped his arms around Alex's waist.

They wound up in Ace's apartment, eating ice cream and binge watching Sherlock. Alex fell asleep midway through season three, and Ace carried him to the bed, pulling the covers up over his unexpected guest.

Ace took the couch. Alex kissed him when he found out the next morning.

"For all the effort you put into me," he said.

Ace kissed him back.

"For all the effort I finally get to watch pay off."

**Author's Note:**

> I am physically incapable of not writing a happy ending.


End file.
